Halloween Massacre

This article is about the November 1975 reorganization of U.S. president Gerald Ford's Cabinet. For the Angolan Civil War massacre, see Halloween massacre (Angola).

"Halloween Massacre" is the term associated with the major reorganization of United StatespresidentGerald Ford's cabinet on November 4, 1975,[1] which was an attempt to address multiple high-level personality and policy clashes within the administration.[2] The overhaul came at a time when the president's leadership abilities were being broadly questioned, and he was being heavily criticized by California governor Ronald Reagan and others from the conservative wing of the Republican Party[3][4]

The shake-up had its roots at the beginning of Ford's presidency in August 1974.[2] As was the case when Lyndon Johnson and Harry S. Truman succeeded to the presidency intra-term, in 1963 and in 1945 respectively, under similarly strained sets of circumstances, Ford inherited President Richard Nixon's cabinet and staff of presidential advisers. Over the course of several months, Ford slowly replaced several Nixon holdovers with his own appointees. These two groups often clashed, and the resulting acrimony often got in the way of policy making.[5][6]

Various newspaper and magazine articles at the time identified Donald Rumsfeld as the one orchestrating these events.[2] At the time, Ford said he alone was responsible for firings. Later, he expressed regret: "I was angry at myself for showing cowardice in not saying to the ultraconservatives, 'It’s going to be Ford and Rockefeller, whatever the consequences.'"[3]